


playing with fire

by zero_miles



Series: salt squad [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, M/M, Side Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Jungwoo, Strangers to Lovers, side Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno - Freeform, will update the tags as i go along like usual to avoid spoilers!, yes you read that right!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:14:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29151051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zero_miles/pseuds/zero_miles
Summary: Yangyang had big plans when he moved across the country after college to be closer to his older brother. It takes less than twenty-four hours for everything to change, courtesy of a meddling brother-in-law and the most beautiful person Yangyang's ever seen in real life.Good thing Yangyang's never minded jumping headfirst into unknown situations.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Liu Yang Yang/Na Jaemin, Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: salt squad [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1310696
Comments: 32
Kudos: 94





	1. reposition

**Author's Note:**

> this is the third part of a series -- but if you haven't read that series before and are just here for the jaemyang (relatable!) i think you should be able to figure things out as you read!

Crumbles looks a lot different in person than it does on social media.

It’s a lot _bigger_ than Yangyang had anticipated it being. The shots on both the carefully curated Instagram and the random ones he’s been sent by his brother over the past few years have led him to believe that Crumbles is small and cozy, and that the pictures he’s seen every now and then of the bakery practically packed were due more to limited space inside than anything else. Not that he’d doubted they were successful, considering the amount of co-workers Yangyang’s heard his brother refer to, but he hadn’t been expecting this.

“This”, of course, being a building that clearly once used to be two separate buildings, with bright cheery flowers spilling out of both flower boxes secured to the windows and giant wooden barrels next to both sets of doors outside and a bright, warm, colorful inviting space on the inside with mis-matched tables and chairs scattered just haphazardly enough around that he can tell it’s intentional. It works, though, as it just adds to the casual charm of the bakery.

Near the back of the shop is quite possibly the largest bakery case Yangyang has ever seen, behind which two almost intimidatingly pretty men are boxing up cookies and cashing out the few customers still around thirty minutes before closing time. They both look serious enough that Yangyang’s a little afraid to approach them once the customers leave, but then the man behind the register gives the one boxing up cookies a dimpled grin that can only be described a besotted. They seem a lot less intimidating now.

“Welcome to Crumbles! I don’t think we’ve seen you in here before,” dimpled guy says once Yangyang approaches the counter.

That statement’s enough to give Yangyang pause. “You guys remember everyone who’s ever come in here before?” he blurts out.

“Just the ones as cute as you,” dimpled guy responds, dimples on full display. “You’re as cute as a button! Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Uhh,” Yangyang says, not sure how he’s supposed to respond to that.

The other man sighs and shakes his head. “Jaehyun, leave the poor kid alone,” he admonishes gently, but his eyes seem to be sparkling when he turns to Yangyang. “Ignore him. What can we do for you?”

“Is Kun in today?” Yangyang asks politely. He hadn’t seen Kun’s car in the parking lot behind the store when he’d pulled in, but he knows that doesn’t actually mean anything. “Or Doyoung, maybe?”

The two men exchange a look. “Doyoung is. Do you need him right now? Is it an emergency?”

Yangyang shifts from foot to foot. This is also not what he anticipated when he’d had the idea to surprise his brother at work today. “It’s not an emergency, nah. I just need to see him before you close and you kick me out, I guess?”

“I’ll go see if he’s busy, then,” Jaehyun answers, giving the other man behind the counter an extremely unsubtle pat on the ass before he walks away from the register.

The other man gives Yangyang a scrutinizing look. “You know,” he says thoughtfully, “Jaehyun said he’s never seen you in here before, and maybe that’s true, but you look super familiar. I feel like I _should_ recognize you.”

“Strange,” Yangyang answers, trying and succeeding to stifle a laugh. Chances are that the man still behind the counter has worked with Kun for a year and a half now, minimum; there’s no way he hasn’t seen a picture of Yangyang on his brother’s social media pages if absolutely nothing else.

Jaehyun returns a moment later. “He says he’ll be out soon and, quote, for you to hold your damn horses,” Jaehyun tells him. “I think he thinks you’re Ten and just trying to be funny.”

Yangyang _does_ laugh at that; that absolutely does sound like something Ten would do. “Well, I’m not,” he says, grinning.

“But you know Ten, too?” the still unnamed man asks, eyes narrowing.

“Uh, yeah,” Yangyang nods. “For like five years now? Six? I can’t remember, honestly.”

“Wait,” Jaehyun says, at the exact same moment that Doyoung bursts through the swinging door that Yangyang assumes leads to the kitchens.

“Yangyang!” he shrieks, _leaping_ over the counter with more grace than Yangyang would have ever expected (if, you know, he’d thought he’d ever see Doyoung do something like jump over a fucking counter in this lifetime or the next one) before wrapping Yangyang up in a borderline too-tight hug that also manages to be just what Yangyang needs right now. “My baby!”

“Doyoung, there are customers,” Yangyang hisses, feeling his cheeks heat up when someone sitting at one of the tables makes a cooing noise.

“Oh, this is nothing compared to some of the other sh—other stuff that goes on in here sometimes,” the unnamed man says flippantly. “I think we have to reset the sign for this, though.”

“He’s right,” Doyoung agrees, finally releasing Yangyang from the hug. He doesn’t go very far, though, stepping back maybe a foot. “What are you doing here? Did Kun bring you? You’re visiting and Kun didn’t tell me?”

Yangyang winces. He’s beginning to realize that his plan to show up at Crumbles unannounced may not have been his brightest idea ever. “Um. Kun doesn’t know I’m here? Surprise!” he says lamely, throwing in some jazz hands because why not, at this point?

Not surprisingly, Doyoung’s eyes go wide. “Yangyang Liu!” he scolds, grabbing one of Yangyang’s elbows firmly and beginning to steer him towards the empty table closest to the register. “Do you know what a terrible idea to fly across the country without letting anyone know where you were going?”

“Hey, people knew I was coming! Just not you guys,” Yangyang argues, but he sits down dutifully when Doyoung all but shoves him into a chair. “Dejun and Kunhang knew. They drove me to the airport this morning and everything.”

Doyoung frowns at him. “Still, a warning would have been good. We would have made sure the guest bedroom was ready for you, because as it is we’ll likely have to wash the sheets before you go to bed—what?” he asks, when Yangyang’s unable to keep himself from making a face.

“I was trying to surprise you guys,” he confesses. “Uh. I’m moving here.”

Yangyang isn’t surprised when Doyoung yells again, this time a strangled noise that manages to sound both excited and frustrated. “You’re moving here?” he cries. “Oh my god. Kun is going to be so happy. We’re _all_ going to be happy. God knows I am,” he says, and Yangyang swears that the other man is slightly teary eyed. “When do you start? Where are you moving to?”

“I start Monday, and my apartment is like...twenty minutes from here, specifically? Not sure how far it is away from your place,” Yangyang tells him. “But I can’t move in until next Saturday, so I’m staying in a hotel until then.”

“No,” Doyoung says immediately. “The hell you are.”

“My job is paying for it,” Yangyang replies. “And it’s nice, I swear. I checked in before I came by here.”

Doyoung shakes his head. “That’s nice and all, but do you really think Kun’s going to let his little brother stay in a hotel when we have a huge guest bedroom we literally set up with you in mind and a dog and two cats who have never met their uncle?”

Yangyang sighs, defeated. He knows when he’s lost an argument, and Doyoung’s right. There’s no way Kun will be chill with him staying in a hotel, not when they’ve seen each other twice in the last three years before now. “I still can’t believe you guys convinced Ten that you needed not just one, but three pets,” he laughs instead.

“Honestly, you can thank or blame Taeil for that,” Doyoung grins. “Johnny’s obsessed with Taeil’s cats, and Ten goes upstairs to visit them all the time...and suddenly he had kitty fever too.”

“And the dog?” Yangyang asks, genuinely interested.

“Yukhei—our friend, you’ll meet him at some point—brought her over one day and said she needed a home. How could any of us say no to that?” Doyoung asks. “But I assume from the subject change you’re staying with us?”

“Yeah, I don’t feel like fighting with Kun four hours after a cross-country flight,” Yangyang explains, tongue in cheek. “I walked here from my hotel, so I can just go back to your place with you.”

Doyoung frowns. “Is your car still in Los Angeles? What about your stuff?”

“It’s all being sent here on the weekend. My company is paying for the moving expenses, too. They offered to get a rental car but I didn’t see the point, because the office is also within walking distance of the hotel too.”

“Works for me,” Doyoung says, standing up. “Let me tell Jungwoo I’m leaving early, and then we’ll head out; obviously we have to stop by your hotel so you can grab your suitcase, but after that we’ll go straight home. I can’t wait to see Kun’s face when he sees you.”

Yangyang follows Doyoung up to the counter, even as he says, “I can wait around for you to do whatever it is you need to do, Doyoung.”

“Nah. Jungwoo and Jaehyun both owe me a favor or two, so there’s no issue with me leaving an hour early today. Right, guys?” Doyoung says sweetly, giving the two men behind the counter an extremely unsubtle ‘don’t test me’ look.

Jaehyun’s eyes go a little wide, but Jungwoo looks unbothered. Yangyang feels like he’s getting a very good glimpse into both of their personalities based on how they react to Doyoung’s statement (god knows that the way that Kun and Ten, respectively, react to Doyoung in a bossy mood is a good snapshot of who they both are, at least). 

“Aren’t you going to introduce us before you go?” Jungwoo asks innocently. 

“What, you weren’t eavesdropping?” Doyoung asks, but it’s without heat. “This is Kun’s little brother, Yangyang. He’s moving here for work, and Kun and Ten are both going to lose their shit when they find out. I don’t want to wait any longer to see it than I have to.”

Jaehyun smiles at Yangyang, dimples on full display, and Yangyang can’t keep himself from swooning a little bit on the inside even though he _knows_ Jaehyun’s a taken man just by seeing how he interacts with Jungwoo. So sue him, he’s always been a sucker for a pretty smile. 

Even when it hurts.

“Well, welcome to the family then, Yangyang,” Jaehyun says, still smiling. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of you around here.”

* * *

The house that Kun, Ten, and Doyoung moved into last fall is about a thirty minute drive from the heart of the city where Crumbles is located, out in the suburbs. Yangyang can’t help but snicker as he thinks about how scandalized the local housewives must have been when they realized that the new family moving in wasn’t a traditional family at all, but rather three men who are all dating each other.

Doyoung sighs knowingly from the driver’s seat of the smart sedan he drives. The car fits Doyoung perfectly—it’s practical and reliable, but the interior has a few luxurious upgrades and features that you wouldn’t expect it to have if you only saw the exterior. 

“You’re thinking about how we probably stick out amongst all the families in the neighborhood, aren’t you.”

“Yeah,” Yangyang admits freely.

Doyoung sighs again. “I think Kun introduced you to Ten when you were too young and impressionable. You’re way too much like him,” he says, pulling into the driveway of a white brick house. When the garage door opens, Yangyang recognizes Kun’s car, but doesn’t recognize the large SUV parked furthest from the inside door. That must be Ten’s, then.

“Does he try to scandalize the neighbors?” Yangyang asks eagerly.

“Try is the key word. He started doing pilates outside on the front lawn every morning that the weather allowed, shirtless more often than not, but that backfired when some people started joining him. But then he decided to turn it into an actual class that people pay him for, so I guess he still won in the end,” Doyoung laughs fondly. 

“Do you ever participate?”

“Your brother does sometimes. I’m only willing to be active when I first wake up if—um, well. You know,” Doyoung trails off, turning red.

Yangyang rolls his eyes. “I’m twenty-three years old. I know you guys have sex, Youngie. I do too! Well, sometimes,” he amends sadly. It’s been a while for him, although that’s mostly by choice.

Mostly.

“I honestly don’t know if what you just said bothers me more, or if that nickname bothers me more,” Doyoung says, wrinkling his nose like a bunny. “Let’s just agree to not discuss either one of those things ever again.”

“So you guys aren’t going to have sex for the ten days that I’m staying with you then?” Yangyang asks, just to poke at Doyoung a little more.

Doyoung doesn’t dignify that question with an answer. Yangyang, admittedly, expected nothing else.

Yangyang follows Doyoung into the house through the door in the garage that connects to the kitchen. From his vantage point, he can see that the TV is on in the living room and can hear voices, so he assumes that both Kun and Ten are in there.

“Stay here and hope that Bella doesn’t blow our cover,” Doyoung whispers, leaving Yangyang standing awkwardly next to the kitchen counter as he waltzes into the living room. There’s really no other word for it.

“You’re home,” he hears Kun say warmly. “Slow day? You must have left early if you’re already here.”

“It was about what you’d expect for a Thursday, but I decided to leave a little early.”

Ten laughs, ringing loud and clear throughout the space. “You cashed in the favors Jungwoo and Jaehyun owe you to come home an hour early on a Thursday? You could have definitely used them to get an extra day off at some point.”

“Probably, but I found a stray at work today and wanted to bring him home as fast as possible,” Doyoung says, and even as Yangyang scowls he knows that Doyoung’s still feeling annoyed about being asked if he wasn’t going to have sex for a week and a half.

“Another one?” Kun asks, but Yangyang thinks he hears at least one person standing up.

Ten’s the first one to enter the kitchen, and he stops short and screams when he sees Yangyang, just like Doyoung had done. Also like Doyoung, he all but runs across the short distance separating them to hug Yangyang before the younger man can even react.

“You’ve gotten so tall,” is the first thing Ten says, and Yangyang laughs.

“Ten, why are you scream—oh my god,” Kun says. “Am I seeing things? Yangyang?”

“I know I look good, but I promise I’m not a hallucination,” Yangyang answers, feeling a little choked up at seeing his brother in person again for the first time in almost six months. 

In hindsight, he’s glad that Kun wasn’t at Crumbles today; if he had been, Yangyang would have had to keep his emotions in check to avoid, you know, not crying in public in front of a bunch of strangers. But he’s safe in his brother’s kitchen, surrounded by people who love him, and he doesn’t bother trying to hide how he sobs when he buries his head in his other brother’s shoulder once Ten steps aside so Kun can hug him. They’re the same height now, making the angle slightly awkward, but Yangyang doesn’t care.

“I missed you so much,” Kun tells him, soft, rubbing Yangyang’s back just like he used to when they were kids and Yangyang was seeking comfort from him. So not so different than what he’s doing right now, actually. “I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m glad you are. Is everything okay?”

“Do I need to fly to Los Angeles to kill someone? Because I will, you know I will,” Ten chimes in.

“Everything’s good,” Yangyang assures them with a watery laugh, pulling back from Kun just enough that he can swipe at his eyes with the back of his hand. “God, I didn’t expect to cry like this. No, everything’s fine, and no one needs to die in back Los Angeles or anything like that, Ten. I actually got a job here that starts on Monday and I wanted to surprise you guys.”

“He was going to stay in a hotel for a week and a half before he’s able to move into his apartment,” Doyoung adds.

Kun gasps. “Why would you ever think you’d need to stay anywhere that wasn’t with us?”

Yangyang looks down at the ground and shrugs. “Dunno. I didn’t want to impose or assume things, I guess. Even if I’d told you guys I was coming I still would have taken my new company up on the hotel offer.”

“Well, I’m just glad that Dodo didn’t take no for an answer and brought you to us,” Ten says. “I’m assuming you are staying here, that is?”

“Yeah. I am. Didn’t want to fight with Kun after spending three hours on a plane and even longer than that in airports,” Yangyang says, giving Ten the same reasoning he’d given Doyoung an hour ago. It’s fairly close to the truth, but it omits the fact that he’d kind of hoped they’d ask him to stay with them when they found out he was here.

Ten makes an approving noise. “Good, because you could never impose on us. Just, you know, if our bedroom door is closed make sure you knock before you try to come in,” he jokes.

Doyoung groans. Loudly. “I give up,” he announces. “I can’t live with any of you people.” He even goes as far as to leave the room, but since he goes back into the garage instead of back towards where Yangyang assumes the bedrooms are, he figures Doyoung can’t be that mad.

“Also, the guest bedroom we have for you is upstairs and on the other side of the house from our bedroom anyway, so that won’t be an issue,” Ten continues, speaking loudly enough that Yangyang figures he’s trying to make sure that his voice carries out to Doyoung in the garage.

“I think that’s enough, Ten,” Kun interjects, his ears turning visibly red. 

Ten sighs dramatically. “Fine,” he acquiesces, tapping Yangyang on the arm so that he turns to look at Ten directly. “We’ll catch up later when the wet blankets aren’t around though, ‘kay?”

“Sounds good,” Yangyang agrees. “Oh, by the way, your hair looks good.” It’s much longer than it had been in December, so much so that Yangyang suspects Ten hasn’t gotten a haircut since then (or if he has, it was only a trim). 

“Thank you!” Ten replies, delighted. “It’s almost long enough for me to put it in a ponytail, and I’m so excited, I can’t lie.”

Doyoung returns just then, Yangyang’s suitcases in hand. “Please tell me we’ve changed the subject by now,” he groans.

“We have,” Kun tells him, taking the suitcases from Doyoung easily. “Yangie, come on. I’ll show you upstairs to your room.”

“The guest room,” Yangyang corrects, watching Kun nudge Doyoung gently out of the way so that he can open a small door between the kitchen and the garage he hadn’t noticed on his way in.

“Your room,” Kun repeats, his tone indicating that there’s no room for argument. And even as much as Yangyang enjoys pushing buttons at times, he’d learned a long, long time ago that trying to push Kun after he’s drawn a line in the sand is simply impossible. 

The room, when Yangyang takes it in, is immaculate. It’s much more spacious than he’d anticipated, with a queen sized bed tucked into an alcove against the far wall and a dresser and end tables that match the bed frame. The far wall is almost all windows, and there’s a desk and chair set up underneath it.

“The view of the sunset from those windows is pretty amazing,” Kun tells him once he notices where Yangyang’s attention has been drawn. “I want to wash the sheets and blanket before you go to bed, because they’ve been on the bed almost as long as we’ve lived here, but besides that you should be good to go.”

“You set this all up for me?” Yangyang asks disbelievingly. “Kun, this is too much.”

Kun sits down on the edge of the bed and pats the spot next to him, an obvious invitation for Yangyang to sit down next to him. When Yangyang does, Kun picks up the cat that had also followed them up the stairs and deposits him in Yangyang’s lap; much to Yangyang’s amazement, the cat (Louis, he thinks) stays without a fuss, laying down immediately.

“It’s not as much as it seems. The bed set was Doyoung’s before he moved in with us. We bought a new mattress and new bedding, though, and I honestly don’t remember if we bought the desk and chair for this room specifically or if it used to be Ten’s in the office downstairs before we replaced it,” Kun explains.

“Still,” Yangyang protests weakly. “What if I never visited you guys, ever? And all this had gone to waste?”

The sound that comes out of Kun’s mouth is nothing less than exasperated. “It wouldn’t have been a waste, though. Yangie, listen. I wasn’t there for you once when you needed me—”

“You didn’t know,” Yangyang interrupts.

“I didn’t know,” Kun agrees. “But if I had been there for you, I would have known and could have helped sooner than I did. I promised myself after that that no matter where I was, or where you were, you’d always have a—a safe space, I guess, with me if you needed it or wanted it. I’m just lucky enough to have two partners who not only understand how important you are to me, but who consider you to be family themselves.”

Yangyang scowls. “You’re going to make me cry again,” he says, accusatory.

“Sorry, kid,” Kun answers, grinning when Yangyang shoves him half-heartedly. “But seriously, if I had my way you’d just move in with us instead moving into your own apartment.”

“No,” Yangyang says immediately. He loves his brother (obviously) and he loves Ten and Doyoung like the bonus older brothers they’ve become, but there’s no way he’d move in with the three of them long term. 

“Well, obviously. You’re an adult and you need to live your own life. But seriously, we would be thrilled if you spent the night over here sometimes. Where is your apartment, anyway? Is it close to here? Eh, probably not. To downtown?”

“I think it would take about 20 minutes for me to walk to Crumbles from there,” Yangyang answers. “And my new job is really close to the bakery too. Kim Events and Engagements?”

Kun laughs out loud. “We’re familiar with them, yeah.”

“That sounds slightly terrifying,” Yangyang says, alarmed.

“Nah. Just...your new boss is an interesting woman,” Kun settles on. “Ready to go back downstairs? We’ve been up here long enough that I’m sure Doyoung and Ten have settled any petty argument they were going to have and have probably ordered something for dinner by now.”

“Yes,” Yangyang says eagerly, gathering Louis up into his arms so that the cat won’t fall to the ground when he stands up. “I haven’t eaten since right before I got on the plane, and that was 10 am California time.”

“Yikes,” Kun answers, rising to his feet. “Come on, then. I’m sure we have cookies or something you can snack on while we wait.”

* * *

Kun had been right on both counts—Doyoung had already ordered dinner before they’d come downstairs, and there were in fact cookies in the kitchen for Yangyang to eat before it arrived. 

Yangyang had almost been afraid that the cookies would be a letdown after literal years of hearing about how awesome Crumbles’ cookies are, but if anything, they turned out to be _better_ than he’d imagined. Especially the double Nutella chip ones that Kun had apparently brought home for Ten the day before, which he’d been informed is a Crumbles exclusive. They’re so good that he manages to polish off the five cookies left in the box after Ten manages to snag one before dinner arrives, ignoring Doyoung’s dire warnings that their food will arrive soon and that Yangyang’s going to make himself sick if he keeps it up.

Dinner turns out to be a fairly low key affair, which Yangyang figures he should have expected. The conversation mostly revolves around Yangyang’s new job and new apartment, which makes sense—they probably don’t want to overload Yangyang with a bunch of discussion about people he’s never met yet. It’s only when Ten’s clearing their takeout containers that the conversation turns to Crumbles.

“So, Kun and I both work the closing shift at the store tomorrow,” Doyoung begins. “And Ten’s taking some of his students to see a dance troupe tomorrow afternoon, so no one will be here most of the afternoon. Do you want to come to work with us tomorrow? Ten can come by and pick you up to bring you back when he’s done with his stuff.”

Yangyang worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He wants to say yes, but— 

“Won’t I just be in the way?” he asks.

Ten laughs from the kitchen. “In the way? There’s no such thing in that place, it’s all chaos all the time,” he tells Yangyang earnestly. “But also, you won’t be.”

“I won’t be what?”

“In the way,” Ten says, like it’s obvious. “Taeil’s probably going to adopt you like he does all the kids who walk through the door. I know you’re not a kid, but you know what I mean,” he adds quickly.

Frowning, Yangyang tilts his head curiously. “I don’t know what you mean, actually.”

“He means anyone younger than us who has a connection to an employee already,” Kun tells him. “But Ten’s right. He’s probably going to set you up in the comfy chairs by the window and bring you cookies until you ask him to stop.”

“Jaehyun did already welcome him to the family earlier,” Doyoung agrees. “He’ll be sucked into the chaos soon, I’m sure.”

“Taeil,” Yangyang says thoughtfully, a lightbulb going off in his head. “That’s Johnny’s husband, right?”

The other three men in the room are dead silent for a moment. Then, Ten starts laughing like Yangyang just told the funniest joke ever or something, and Kun and Doyoung join in immediately. Bella, who had been outside when Yangyang and Doyoung had first arrived but had come inside while Yangyang was upstairs with Kun, starts barking as well. It’s a loud, chaotic mess, but Yangyang feels more at home right this second than he has in years.

“What?” Yangyang protests. “What did I say?”

“You’ll see tomorrow,” Kun says, cryptic for the second time in less than an hour. 

Yangyang crosses his arms over his chest and tries not to pout. “Fine. Whatever. Keep your secrets,” he tells them, but he’s not actually annoyed. He thinks that they wouldn’t let him waltz into Crumbles tomorrow and make a fool out of himself, so whatever they’re laughing about can’t be too serious.

He hopes so, anyway.


	2. something new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we have a tentative chapter count! i say "tentative" because it's subject to change, but not by much if it even does--this is gonna be a long ride, strap in y'all :D

Ten insists on accompanying them to Crumbles the next morning, despite the fact that he’ll only be able to stay for a little bit before he has to leave to meet his students somewhere else in the city. He also insists that Yangyang drive with him in his SUV instead of in Doyoung’s car, but Yangyang supposes that makes sense—after all, Ten’s the only one he didn’t get to spend any one on one time with yesterday.

“So, tell me,” Yangyang begins, waiting until Ten’s turned out of the neighborhood, “what’s everyone like?”

“Yangie, are you nervous?” It’s a question that could—and would—sound patronizing coming from a lot of other people, but Yangyang knows that coming from Ten it’s genuine.

“A little bit,” Yangyang admits. “But only because it seems like no one there knows I exist, which makes it a little weird. Like, okay, yesterday I was being shady about who I was when I first walked in, but they wouldn’t have known who I was even if I’d introduced myself right off the bat!”

Ten laughs out loud at that. “Yeah, that’s just because you met dumb and dumber yesterday. I bet you noticed yesterday that they’re, like, fucking obsessed with each other?”

“I interacted with them for five minutes, so yes,” Yangyang confirms.

“Don’t get me wrong, they’re both great,” Ten confides. “But literally all either of them ever think about is, like, work or the other one. That doesn’t leave much room in their heads to remember the name and face of their co-worker’s little brother they haven’t met, even though said co-worker talks about him  _ all  _ the fucking time.”

Yangyang can’t help but preen a little bit. “Kun talks about me?”

“You know he does, you little shit,” Ten answers fondly. “Donghyuck’s already convinced the two of you would be best friends if you ever end up meeting. Which you will, today, and that fucking terrifies me by the way.”

“Why?” Yangyang asks, grinning now. Just by the tone of Ten’s voice, he thinks he knows what’s coming.

“Because the two of you could probably take over the world if you wanted to with the combined power of your scheming. If you managed to rope Jaemin in, there’s no doubt that the three of you would succeed. Especially since Jeno’s not around all the time any more to rein them in,” Ten sighs dramatically.

Yangyang’s heard all of those names in passing before, and it’s kind of hard to believe he’s going to be able to meet them all soon. “Will I meet them all today?” he asks eagerly, bouncing in his seat a little like a child.

Ten hums, thinking. “I don’t know if Jeno will be done with classes for the day before I come back to pick you up, but you should meet everyone else at some point. Probably right away, because based on what Kun and Doie have been saying all week this is one of those days where they need everyone there or else they’re not going to get everything done.”

“Wedding season,” Yangyang agrees, nodding sagely. If sitting through three semester’s worth of hospitality classes hadn’t taught him that, then his instagram feed over the last two years alone would have done the trick.

“I don’t mind it too much, though. Taeil almost always gives them both Sundays off on weeks like this one, so I get them all to myself then,” Ten continues, grinning wickedly.

Yangyang groans. “Please don’t continue that sentence, I was just fucking with Doyoung last night,” he begs.

“I thought I’d return the favor since he won’t,” Ten says, grin spreading impossibly wider. 

“That’s fair, I guess,” Yangyang grumbles. “We’re almost there, right?”

Ten makes a particularly sharp right turn that Yangyang’s almost certain was on purpose. “Just another minute or two now. Why?”

“Because I can’t wait to escape,” Yangyang snarks. 

“You say that, but I know you love me,” Ten says dismissively. “Oh, look, today’s my lucky day. There’s a spot right in front of the door!” he adds excitedly, swinging into the aforementioned parking spot that somehow manages to be even sharper than the turn a minute ago. 

The sudden movement jerks Yangyang forward and leaves him scrambling for the handle above his head, and he all but throws himself out of the car when Ten puts it in park just so he can put his feet on the ground and get his bearings.

Ten follows at a more sedate pace, but the expression on his face is genuinely apologetic after he locks the SUV and turns to face Yangyang. “I misjudged that second one. Are you okay?” he asks, concern lacing his voice.

“I am now, I think,” Yangyang confirms. 

“Good. Just don’t tell your brother, he’ll have my head,” Ten jokes. “Doyoung will too, so don’t tell him either. Don’t tell anyone, actually. Let’s go with that.”

Yangyang strokes his chin contemplatively. “Fine, but it’ll cost you,” he decides.

“This is exactly what I meant when I said you’re full of schemes,” Ten mutters, opening Crumbles’ front door and ushering Yangyang inside.

Crumbles is much busier today than it was yesterday, but that’s not really a surprise considering he’d come in shortly before closing on a Thursday yesterday and it’s now likely the tail end of their Friday afternoon lunch crowds. The line still manages to move at a quick pace despite the fact that it looks like Jaehyun is the only person behind the counter right now though, and Yangyang can’t lie. He’s kind of impressed.

“Ten, Yangyang,” Jaehyun greets them warmly once they make it up to the counter. “How are you guys today?”

“Yangyang?” an unfamiliar voice practically shrieks. Before Yangyang can react, one of the most beautiful people he’s ever seen pops up out of nowhere, eyes wide and sparkling with excitement. “Oh my god!”

“Told you,” Ten mumbles out of the corner of his mouth, even as the new person rushes around the counter and towards them, stopping just shy of Yangyang with his arms extended awkwardly in front of him.

“Um. I was going to give you a hug but then I realized that you don’t know me and I’m a complete stranger and I don’t want to make things weird,” he says, reaching up to shove a hand through the middle of his two toned hair awkwardly.

“Too late for that,” Jaehyun deadpans, and Yangyang has to duck his head to hide his snicker.

“It’s fine. I like hugs,” Yangyang tells him, trying to play it cool.

Ten, however, is not fooled. “He loves hugs,” he tells the stranger, then turns to Yangyang. “That’s Taeyong, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” Taeyong says, giving Yangyang a dorky little wave that somehow manages to be endearing. Probably because of his face. “Is it actually okay if I hug you?”

“Yes,” Yangyang tells him. He’s already getting the feeling that he won’t have to deal with being touch starved here like he had back in California, sometimes, and it’s actually really really nice.

Taeyong hesitates a moment longer before finally hugging Yangyang; it’s gentle, but in a way that makes Yangyang think he’s still holding himself back a little. “Come on,” he says, latching onto Yangyang’s wrist when he pulls away from the hug, “I need to introduce you to everyone!”

“You can’t leave me out here alone!” Jaehyun argues.

“I’ll send Jungwoo out here, calm down,” Taeyong calls out over his shoulder as he practically drags Yangyang towards the kitchen door. He’s deceptively strong, so Yangyang allows himself to be tugged forward.

The door Yangyang had thought led directly to the kitchen instead leads to a hallway. There’s two doors to the left and an opening to the right, and Taeyong leads him down the right side of the hallway for about a hundred feet before Yangyang suddenly finds himself in what is, quite literally, the largest kitchen he has ever seen. He’s pretty sure it’s twice the size of his new apartment, and his new apartment is bigger than he honestly needs. The kitchen is alive with voices and movement; there has to be half a dozen people in here, and he doesn’t see Kun or Doyoung yet either. The only person he recognizes is Jungwoo, who’s standing in front of a mixer that’s probably taller than Yangyang himself.

“Whoa,” he breathes out. Ten, who had followed them, huffs out a quiet laugh.

“Look who I found!” Taeyong shouts.

No one turns around, or even stops what they’re doing, which Yangyang finds interesting. Either they’re all super devoted to their tasks, or they’re so used to people yelling around here that no one even flinches when it happens anymore.

“Kun? Doyoung? They’re supposed to be here soon,” a man with blond hair washing dishes says.

“They should be here by now, actually, they’re running late,” the man drying dishes next to him corrects. 

“It is actually weird they’re not here yet,” Ten tells Yangyang, quietly enough that not even Taeyong standing in front of them hears him.

“They’re not even late! Calm down!” a third man, standing on a step ladder as he stacks layers of cakes on top of each other with the assistance of a fourth much taller man, yells. The man on the ladder is the first one to look at them, once he’s satisfied with the placement of the last cake layer, and he nearly falls backwards off the ladder with surprise.

He probably would have fallen, actually, had Ten not shouted for Johnny, who was apparently the one handing the cake layers to the other man in the first place— he looks up just in time to see the shorter man tipping backyards and grabs him by the waist just in time.

“Ten?” Johnny asks, turning to face them as he sets the other man safely down on the ground. “Wait—Yangyang?”

_ That _ gets everyone’s attention—the man at the sink drops the bowl he’d been washing into the water, but neither he nor the man drying dishes seem to notice how water sloshes everywhere, Jungwoo turns off his mixer, and a small, slight man pops out of the pantry holding a huge bag, nearly giving Yangyang a heart attack.

“That’s me,” Yangyang says, shifting so that he’s standing next to Taeyong instead of behind him. “Sorry, I don’t know who any of you are besides Jungwoo, but I know I’ve heard a lot about all of you.”

“Speaking of Jungwoo, Jaehyun needs you up front,” Ten cuts in. 

Jungwoo’s expression softens immediately. “Just come get me when you need me back in here, then,” he tells the room at large, already walking towards the hallway.

The man who had been washing dishes sighs. “We probably just lost Jungwoo for an hour,” he remarks.

“That’s true, but we’ve got Taeyong back so it evens out,” Johnny answers. “Hey, Yangyang. I guess you probably know who I am now, huh?”

Yangyang nods. “Yeah, but I would have recognized you as soon as I saw your face.”

Johnny laughs. It’s a nice laugh. “I suppose so, huh? Well, this dumbass here who nearly just died is Donghyuck,” he begins, patting the younger man still standing next to him on the shoulder fondly, “Shotaro’s the one who was hiding in the pantry when you walked in—”

“I was not hiding! You were the one who sent me into the pantry in the first place!” Shotaro whines.

“Like I said, Shotaro was hiding in the pantry,” Johnny repeats, grinning, “Yuta’s the one who was washing dishes, and Taeil’s the one drying dishes. Or who was drying dishes,” he says, his voice lowering an octave as he stares at Taeil lovingly. 

Clearly, Jungwoo and Jaehyun aren’t the only people around here borderline obsessed with each other.

“It’s really nice to meet you all,” Yangyang says honestly. “And congratulations on the wedding,” he adds, looking from Johnny to Taeil and back again. 

There’s a long pause, and then everyone but Ten begins laughing. It’s a repeat of the night before, and it might be the weirdest sensation of deja vu that Yangyang’s ever experienced. “Okay, seriously, what the fuck is going on here?” he hisses, turning on his heel to glare at Ten. “I didn’t think you’d let me embarrass myself in front of a bunch of strangers!”

“First of all, you know I’d absolutely let you embarrass yourself in front of anyone,” Ten informs him. “Second of all, they’re not married.”

"But they got engaged like two years ago," Yangyang blurts out, confused. He's no expert on love or anything like that, but he's pretty sure that if you love someone enough to propose to them that means you plan on actually getting married sometime in the near future. 

Taeil, the first one in the room to calm down, nods. "Not quite two years ago, but yeah. We just don't have time to plan a wedding, honestly," he tells Yangyang. His voice is oddly soothing.

"You could hire a wedding planner, if you wanted? They can handle most of that stuff for you," Yangyang replies, still confused. 

"Ah," Johnny sighs, "we’ve tried. But none of the wedding planners in the area want to take us on as clients."

"Because they're cowards," Yuta interjects, nodding solemnly.

"I wouldn't say they're  _ cowards _ ," Johnny says diplomatically.

Taeil shakes his head. "Oh, no, they're absolutely cowards. They're afraid that we'll be too demanding and they'll never live up to our expectations and then we'll refuse to make cakes for any of their future clients, and apparently not being able to hire Johnny would hurt their business? But it’s not like that would ever happen because not only are we professionals, we wouldn't be demanding clients at all because we have a general idea of what goes into wedding planning, but no one will listen to us," he complains, face turning red.

"Babe, remember that breathing thing we've talked about once or twice?" Johnny asks Taeil, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Yes. That I need to do it if I want to survive," Taeil retorts, but his words are already more measured and Yangyang doesn't feel like he needs to worry about watching someone pass out in front of him due to lack of oxygen anymore. "But yeah. That's why we're not married yet. We'll get there eventually, though. Well, hopefully."

Ten gasps. Loudly. "Wait a minute," he says excitedly, whacking Yangyang on the arm repeatedly. "I've got it!"

Yangyang feels a sense of dread wash over him. He doesn't know what Ten's planning, but if he's this animated over it before he spits it out, it's probably bad news for  _ someone  _ in the vicinity. 

Before Ten can elaborate on his amazing idea, a door Yangyang hadn't noticed before tucked away near the pantry opens. A man wearing a dark striped button down shirt steps out, eyes scanning the room curiously. 

If Yangyang had thought Taeyong was one of the most beautiful people he’s ever seen a few short minutes ago, then this person standing in front of him now is  _ the _ most beautiful person Yangyang’s ever seen, hands down. He’s tall, but not  _ too  _ tall, with black hair artfully styled back off of his forehead and wide, expressive eyes. And when he smiles at Yangyang, time seems to stop.

“Oh, hello,” the new stranger says, his voice deeper than Yangyang expects. “I heard yelling, so I figured I’d better check and see if Hyuck was still alive. This isn’t what I expected to find.”

“He almost fell off a stepladder,” Yangyang says, almost transfixed by the person in front of him.

“Ah, no big deal then,” the man says, even as Donghyuck squawks in protest. “I feel like I should know who you are, but my brain is a little fried after arguing with one of our suppliers all morning, I’m sorry.”

“That’s Yangyang,” Ten answers before Yangyang can. “Kun’s little brother, but also the solution to Johnny and Taeil’s big problem.”

Yangyang turns and gives Ten a disbelieving look. “How am I the solution to anyone’s problem? Especially a big problem?” he asks skeptically.

Ten grins, and it’s kind of terrifying. “Easy. They need an event planned. You’re an event planner. Duh.”

“I’ve never planned a wedding before, though. And my company doesn’t plan weddings—I was specifically told that during the interview process,” Yangyang tells him.

“That’s okay!” Johnny says hurriedly, but it’s vague enough that it could mean  _ that’s okay that you’ve never planned a wedding before  _ or  _ that’s okay, you don’t have to do this for us _ . 

“Planning their wedding will probably be less stressful than some events you’ve planned before,” Ten tries. He clearly thinks he’s found a solution that will help his best friend out while helping Yangyang advance his career, so he’s likely not going to give up easily. “Also, Taeyeon will be on board. She likes new challenges.”

Yuta makes a sound that’s somewhere between surprise and alarm. “Taeyeon’s your boss?”

“Yes,” Yangyang answers slowly. “She seemed really nice when I was interviewing with her.”

“She’s very nice,” Taeil assures him. “Really, she is. She’s just also very particular and kind of demanding as a client, but I suppose you have to be in that line of work.”

“Oh, you do,” Yangyang assures him, shuddering a little. Between his previous seven months of working and the two years of internships he had during college, he could tell a thousand horror stories. “My main concern right now though is that I’m new to the area, and if we don’t plan weddings at my job, we’re not really going to have all the contacts we need for wedding specific things and I’m not going to know where to start.”

“That’s no problem,” Johnny says, starting to sound a little hopeful. “We have those. I know Jaemin’s got a binder in his office with more wedding industry contacts than anyone could ever need.”

“I do,” the beautiful stranger, who must be Jaemin, says. “I’d be willing to help you in any way I can if it means they finally get married.”

“In that case, I’ll talk to Taeyeon about it,” Yangyang agrees. It would be embarrassing at how quickly he’s jumping at the chance to work with Jaemin and maybe get to know him a little bit if anyone knew that was why he was agreeing. But since no one knows that—well, it does look like he’s caving to peer pressure a little bit, but it’s fine. It’s for a good cause.

Taeil’s face lights up. “Are you sure? We’ll sign a contract and everything. Whatever you need us to do.”

“I’m sure,” Yangyang affirms. Even if he had been having second thoughts already, only a monster could intentionally wipe that look off of Taeil’s face right now. Yangyang’s no saint, but there’s no way he’d do that. “As long as Taeyeon says it’s okay, but I think I can convince her if need be. I might even go see her today if she’s not too busy for me.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Johnny tells him. “Seriously. Can I hug you?”

“I don’t mind,” Yangyang replies. When Johnny moves closer, he expects to get the same kind of hug he’d gotten from Taeyong earlier—genuine, but kind of reserved.

The kind of hug he  _ gets  _ from Johnny is nothing like that. Instead, Johnny pulls him into a crushing bear hug, even going as far as to sweep Yangyang off the ground and shake him a little. Someone starts laughing, but Yangyang isn’t sure who, besides the fact that he knows it’s not Ten.

“Don’t scare him away, Johnny, we just met him,” a voice that Yangyang thinks is Yuta says when Johnny sets Yangyang back onto his feet.

Johnny grins down at Yangyang, taking a slight step back so that he’s no longer all up in Yangyang’s personal space. “Sorry. I just kind of feel like I know you already. And Ten loves you! That automatically means that I do, too,” he says, sheepish.

“It’s okay, I liked it. The hug, I mean. And I feel like I know you already, too,” Yangyang admits. That’s definitely not the case for most of the other people in the room, but Johnny? He’s been hearing stories about Johnny for at least five years now. It would probably be weird if Johnny  _ did  _ feel like a stranger to him at this point. 

“Aww,” Ten coos. 

Thankfully, Yangyang is saved from having to suffer through whatever Ten was going to say next by the back door opening and Kun and Doyoung walking in. They’re both carrying trays of drinks, so it’s not hard to figure out what took them so long to arrive.

“Oh, hey,” Kun says, smiling brightly when he spots Yangyang in the kitchen. “What did we miss?”

* * *

For the second time in as many days, Yangyang finds himself shocked by how different a building seems in person as compared to online photos. Yesterday, it had been Crumbles; today, it’s Kim Events and Engagements. His new workplace is a lot smaller than it had seemed when Yangyang was scouting it out through pictures posted to Google reviews and on Instagram, but he supposes that a very expensive interior decorator spent a lot of time making it look spacious and modern.

In a way, the office space is very reminiscent of Taeyeon herself—small, but you’d never know it by the way they present themselves. When the overly cheerful receptionist leads Yangyang back to Taeyeon’s office, he’s shocked to realize that the woman doesn’t even come up to his shoulder.

“How was your flight? You landed yesterday afternoon, right? What about the hotel? Several of our clients have given it rave reviews in the past, but I’m not sure if it’s truly suited for a long term stay. If you don’t like it, we can find you something else,” Taeyeon fires off in rapid succession, not giving Yangyang a chance to get a word in edgewise. She looks at him expectantly, though, and Yangyang knows that she’s expecting an answer to every single one of the questions she just asked.

Yangyang takes a deep breath. “I did land yesterday afternoon, yeah, and the flight didn’t have any issues. As for the hotel, it seemed really nice when I checked in, but my brother lives here and when he found out I was going to be staying in a hotel for a few days he insisted I stay with him instead.”

Taeyeon hums. “I’m glad to hear that. I think it will be easier for you to settle in if you’ve got family to rely on. Stay checked in to the hotel, though, just in case. You never know when you might want some space to yourself before you’re able to move into your new apartment.”

Yangyang blinks at her. He’d been half expecting a reprimand for not mentioning that he had someone he might have been able to stay with before allowing her to book a hotel for him, but instead he got basically the opposite. “Thank you,” he says eventually. “That’s really nice.”

“Don’t mention it,” Taeyeon says, waving a hand dismissively. “I do what I can to take care of my employees. This is nothing.”

“Well, I really appreciate it,” Yangyang says.

Taeyeon nods. “Of course. Now, I have a feeling that you didn’t just come here to introduce yourself in person, as that could have easily waited until Monday. Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

Damn, she’s good, Yangyang thinks. “Kind of,” he hedges. “Some...family friends of mine found out today that I’m an event planner, so they asked me if I’d be willing to plan their wedding. I know that’s not what we do here, but they were so hopeful I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

“Hmm,” Taeyeon says, tapping her chin with a perfectly manicured fingertip. “We don’t, but I have been considering expanding into the wedding planning market for a while now, since you would not believe the amount of people that call us up thinking we’re wedding planners based on our name alone. But more importantly, I’m a firm believer that everyone should use their skills to help out their loved ones whenever they can. These friends of yours, are they willing to sign a services contract to shield you and the company both from liability if something goes wrong?”

“They brought up that they’d sign a contract before I thought that far ahead, honestly,” Yangyang answers, feeling hopeful himself.

“Then I see no reason why this couldn’t work,” Taeyeon agrees readily. “Now, there’s going to be some gaps with the contacts and partnerships we already have if you’re planning a wedding, since there’s many things involved in a wedding that corporate events like the kind we handle don’t go near. I—hmm. I have an idea, actually. There’s a bakery nearby that we do a lot of business with that also makes wedding cakes, and I bet they can at least point you in the right direction,” Taeyeon muses. “Your clients will want to hire them to make their wedding cake anyway.”

Yangyang has to bite his tongue to keep from laughing as realization dawns on him. “You wouldn’t be talking about Crumbles, would you?” he asks.

“I am,” Taeyeon confirms. “You’re familiar with them already?”

“Yeah. Um. The family friends I mentioned are actually the owners. My brother’s worked for Johnny for like three or four years now,” Yangyang explains awkwardly. 

Taeyeon’s face lights up. “That certainly makes things easier, although I can’t believe they haven’t found a wedding planner before now.”

“I was told that none of the wedding planners in the city felt comfortable taking them on as clients.”

“Cowards,” Taeyeon snorts dismissively. “Their loss is my and your gain, though. This is going to work out so well. If—no, when—their wedding goes off without a hitch, we can use it to springboard into offering wedding planning services full time. Maybe that’ll even be your niche, who knows?” she continues, actually going as far as to rub her hands together excitedly. 

“No pressure, huh?” Yangyang tries to joke. He’s pretty sure he misses the mark, but Taeyeon laughs anyway.

“You’ll do great,” she assures him. “Now, do you actually want a tour of the office? Or do you want to head back to the bakery to tell Taeil and Johnny that they’ve got themselves a wedding planner now?”

“I actually do want a tour,” Yangyang says. He’ll need one anyway, and if he gets the tour now he won’t have to hang around the receptionist area awkwardly on Monday morning. 

Taeyeon looks slightly taken aback, but she nods anyway. “In that case, follow me,” she says grandly, turning on her heel and rounding the corner. The clack-clack of her heels echo through the room, and Yangyang smiles to himself as he follows her.

* * *

When Yangyang returns to Crumbles about ninety minutes after he’d first left, Jaehyun is nowhere to be seen. Instead, two extremely tall kids are behind the counter, handling orders with startling efficiency even as the surprisingly large number of middle aged women waiting in line coo over them. 

He’d texted Kun that he was headed back to Crumbles when he left Kim Events and Engagements, but Kun hadn’t responded. Yangyang doesn’t want to just waltz into the kitchen uninvited either, so he prepares himself to wait in line until it’s his turn. With as fast as the two kids are moving, it’s not like he’ll have to wait that long anyway.

It’s a surprise, to say the least, when the slightly shorter kid calls out his name.

“Yeah?” Yangyang asks hesitantly, moving so that he can see the counter clearly without losing his spot in line. 

“See, I told you it was him!” the one who’d called him says, elbowing the other kid none too gently in the ribs. “Taeil told us you’d be back soon and he said for you to head back to the kitchen whenever you’re ready,” he continues, ignoring how nearly all of the customers are turning to look at Yangyang curiously.

“Thanks,” Yangyang tells him, shuffling out of line entirely so that he can head back into the kitchen as instructed. He can hear the customer at the register asking the kids who he is as the door swings shut behind him, but Yangyang decides that’s not his problem right now.

Unlike earlier, he can hear voices coming from both sides of the hallway. Yangyang hesitates for a second, trying to decide which way he should go, before settling on returning to the same area he’d been in before. Taeil probably would have told the kids to tell him to go the other way if that’s what he needed to do, right?

There’s only four people in the kitchen when Yangyang enters—Taeil, Yuta, Doyoung, and Jaemin. Like earlier, everyone’s working, but it’s a much less chaotic scene than before: Doyoung and Yuta are scooping cookie dough out of huge mixing bowls and arranging them on cookie sheets, Taeil is decorating cookies, and Jaemin seems to either be helping Taeil or just watching him.

Yangyang clears his throat gently, not wanting to distract Taeil from what he’s doing, and Jaemin’s head snaps up instantly.

“You’re back,” he says.

“I am,” Yangyang agrees, watching as Taeil sets the piping bag he’d been working with deliberately off to the side. “Had a nice chat with Taeyeon.”

“And obviously she said that it’s fine if Taeil and Johnny hire you, because you wouldn’t be acting like this if she had said no,” Doyoung cuts in, ruining Yangyang’s moment of suspense.

Taeil gasps before Yangyang can gripe at Doyoung for destroying his carefully crafted dramatic moment. “Did she really?”

“She did. She also said that you can come in any time after like ten AM on Monday to sign the contract, but you both need to be there.”

“We can do that,” Taeil says excitedly. “Oh my god, I need to go tell Johnny. If you’ll excuse me,” he says suddenly, maneuvering around both Jaemin and Yangyang before disappearing down the hallway.

Yangyang watches him go bemusedly. “What’s down there? Is that where everyone else is?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. There’s another kitchen down there that we only use on days like today where we have custom cookie orders and need the counter space to decorate them,” Yuta tells him. “But enough about that. Did Taeyeon give you a hard time? Or was she on board immediately? I need to know so I know how to act the next time she places an order with us,” he adds, completely shameless.

Doyoung sighs. “You’d treat her the same no matter what, Yuta.”

“Now you and I both know that’s not true,” Yuta retorts cheerfully. “Right, Jaemin?”

“Right,” Jaemin says, clearly stifling a laugh.

A cross look passes over Doyoung’s face, and Yangyang knows that he needs to intervene quickly before Doyoung has time to get annoyed. “She was on board immediately, even before I told her who wanted to hire me!” he rushes out. “She’s maybe too on board, because she says that if I don’t fuck this up she’s going to expand the business so that we plan weddings all the time and that will be my main job in the future. So, you know, that’s kind of a lot to deal with,” he says self-deprecatingly.

“You’re going to do great,” Jaemin says, sincerity ringing out loud and clear. “I know you will.”

“You can’t know that,” Yangyang argues, louder than he intends judging by the way he sees Doyoung’s eyes widen in his peripheral vision. “I mean, you don’t know me,” he elaborates, much more quietly.

“Maybe not, but I do know Taeyeon enough to know that she wouldn’t hire anyone but the best,” Jaemin responds, resolute.

“You’re just saying that because she tried to poach you from us last Christmas,” Yuta teases him.

Jaemin grins easily. “Maybe, or maybe that’s just proof I know what I’m talking about. Besides, Yangyang, I’m going to help you out too and between you and me, Taeil and Johnny are going to be the easiest clients you’ll ever have. Ever.”

“I did kind of get that vibe already,” Yangyang agrees. 

“See? Everything is going to be just fine,” Jaemin says confidently, grin turning even brighter somehow.

(And if Jaemin smiling at Yangyang like  _ that _ makes him just a little bit weak in the knees, well, Yangyang figures that’s between him and God and no one else.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the support on the first chapter! it kind of took my breath away, and is absolutely why this chapter is ready just two weeks later! 
> 
> come say hi: [twitter](https://twitter.com/zero__miles) || [cc](https://curiouscat.me/zero__miles)

**Author's Note:**

> bet you'd thought you'd never see me update this series ever again, huh??
> 
> real talk: i've wanted to write more in this universe for like...a year now, but i just could never think of the right idea. this one came to me out of nowhere last week and, well, look where we are now! i also considered leaving it as is, letting a sleeping dog lie, but--i'm not quite ready to let this series go, and i think this fic will be different enough from the rest that it's not just me writing the same fic over and over again, but also still similar enough to the rest that the characters will still feel the same as they did before :)
> 
> no specific update schedule, but i'm aiming for at least one update a month...so we'll see how that goes!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/zero__miles) || [cc](https://curiouscat.me/zero__miles)
> 
> (ps. to the friend whose house layout i shamelessly stole for this fic: if you ever somehow see this, sorry!! sdhfdfhjgj)


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